One of the primary goals of a brand is to ensure that they build a strong brand identity that clearly resonates with the target audience of the business. As a marketer, it is essential that you create a strong brand presence that helps you stand against all competitors in the market. It goes without saying that a brand’s identity comprises a host of elements that collectively create a long lasting impression in the minds of your consumers. 

When you are constantly juggling between multiple requests from different teams, it is often difficult to drift between these requests while still staying consistent to your brand colors, tone, and voice. This is exactly why a brand asset inventory and a BAM software can save your life! 

But how do you create one? What goes into a brand asset inventory? These might be some questions that are popping up in your mind. Well, we’re here to answer them all! 

In this article, we’re going to talk about what is a brand asset inventory and how you can create a strong brand asset inventory for your brand. Let’s get started! 

What is brand asset inventory? 

Brand asset inventory is the processing of collecting and organizing all the diversified assets of your brand to create and maintain consistency across all marketing channels. Whether it is creating the next pitch deck for your new product line or just to handle all your social media accounts, a brand asset inventory is the bible of your brand. The brand asset inventory serves as a one-stop reference for everyone involved in creating marketing and promotional assets for your brand. 

What should you include in your brand asset inventory?

Everything! Yes, that’s the only ideal answer we can probably give you. Your brand asset inventory is nothing but a comprehensive list of all the visual and verbal elements that make up your brand’s identity. The brand asset inventory includes all your brand guidelines, digital assets, and brand equity. 

The primary purpose of creating a brand asset inventory is to ensure that there is consistency in all the marketing and promotional efforts of the brand. Given that, here are a few non-negotiables that must be a part of your brand asset inventory. 

• Brand logos 
• Brand fonts 
• Brand colors 
• Brand color palette 
• Brand tone and voice guidelines
• Brand style guide
• Brand tagline and slogan 
• Brand vision and mission statement 
• Brand boilerplate 
• Brand illustration 
• Brand icons 
• Brand templates 
• Brand photographs and images 
• Brand website 
• Brand social media channels 
• Email signatures 
• Case studies 
• Success stories 
• Testimonials 
• Brand video assets (if any)

The list goes on and on! It’s important to ensure that these standard elements are a part of your brand asset inventory. However, it depends on the size of the business and the domain you are a part of. You can then increase or decrease the size of your brand asset inventory and work with it accordingly. 

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Why is  brand inventory important?

A brand asset inventory is the sole reference point of your brand. Whether it’s a sales collateral, a social media post, or even an email signature, it is essential to keep all of them in line with your brand asset inventory. Here are a few reasons why a brand asset inventory is important for your brand. 

1. Creates consistency 

We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again. Your brand asset inventory helps in creating consistency across all mediums of the brand. The brand asset inventory is the foundation on which your entire brand identity rests. A brand asset inventory  helps in ensuring that all your marketing efforts are coherent visually and verbally. ‍

2. Saves resources 

We all can agree on how much time and effort it takes to create that pitch deck that can win you your next client. Having a brand asset inventory, especially when integrated with a Brand Compliance tool, can help you save all the time and effort, particularly for marketers! Your marketing team doesn’t have to create all brand assets from scratch for every new campaign. Planning your next social media campaign? Create your brand asset inventory now.

3. Increased collaboration opportunities 

When there’s consistency, there’s more room for collaboration. Having a brand asset inventory can help in increasing your collaboration opportunities across teams. Whether your team is working with a freelance designer or a copywriter, brand asset inventory can guide them on the overall aesthetic of your brand and keep them on the same page as you are. 

4. Reveals your SWOT 

SWOT, which stands of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, is essential to identify before you jump on to your next marketing assignment. A brand asset inventory can reveal all the strengths and weaknesses of your brand. It can show you the design and marketing elements of your brand. It shows the areas where your brand is falling short and gives you the room to explore opportunities for growth and improvement. 

Read our article on how to set SMART Goals for your marketing team in 2023! 

5. Establishes brand equity 

Brand equity refers to the overall commercial value of your brand. In layman terms, it defines the total worth of your brand. One of the major benefits of having a brand asset inventory is to create a strong brand image that translates to a higher brand equity. With a strong brand asset inventory, teams across your brand get the required clarity and thereby maintain coherence. 

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How can you create your brand asset inventory?

The million dollar question — how can I create my brand asset inventory? Here are a few quick steps that can help you in creating your brand asset inventory for your business. 

Step 1 : Identify all your brand assets 

The first step is to ensure that you collate all your brand assets — including your tagline, brand colors, logo, packaging, website, social media, and more — in one place to create your brand asset inventory. 

Step 2: Categorize, categorize, categorize 

Now comes an important task! After you have identified all your brand assets, it’s time to categorize them into specific and targeted folders. You can start by creating folders such as Website, Social Media, and more. ‍

Step 3: Create asset buckets 

The next step is to ensure that you create distinctive asset buckets. You can categorize these into visual, verbal, print, and other types of experiential assets. It is important to categorize all these elements into buckets to ensure they can be managed easily. 

‍Step 4: Describe your asset buckets

Create a clear and brief description for all your asset buckets. This description should include all the areas and the elements under each asset bucket. 

Step 5: Create your digital asset library 

Now that you have predefined all your assets that are going into your brand asset inventory, it’s time to give them a centralized location. This centralized location — or asset library — can help you manage, edit, and update your brand assets in due course of time. 

Step 6: Launch mode on! 

Once you have everything in place, it’s time for you to hop on to a brand asset management tool to store and organize all your assets. Want to know which best brand asset management solution will work best for your brand ? 

How to maintain your brand asset inventory?

You’ve created your brand asset inventory, what’s next? Making sure you maintain it and ensure uniformity across all channels. Here are a few tips that can help you maintain your brand asset inventory in the right way. 

1. Assign ownership

The best way to ensure that your brand asset inventory is maintained well is to start by updating and maintaining your brand inventory on a day-to-day basis. You can assign ownership to members from content, design, sales, and all other teams to ensure accountability. 

2. Review your inventory

As you keep updating your brand asset inventory, it is important to ensure that you review your brand asset inventory. Reviewing your brand asset inventory at regular intervals can help you identify gaps in your brand messaging or any of your brand core values. You can create a simple yet realistic brand asset inventory review process that can ensure that all your latest brand assets are relevant to your brand. 

3. Use a digital asset management tool 

The best way to help you maintain, organize, collect, and collaborate is to simply use digital asset management. Using a digital asset management tool can help in managing your brand asset inventory in an effective and efficient way. One such brand asset management tool is Artwork Flow — a one stop solution to facilitating creative collaboration and managing your fast-growing brand in a hassle free manner. Check out how Artwork Flow can help you in an effective way, by booking a free demo. 

Takeaway 

A brand asset inventory is nothing but crucial to building a strong yet consistent brand identity. With a brand asset inventory in place, you can create a comprehensive list of brand assets and ensure that all your digital assets are both in congruence and also increase your overall brand equity. Wondering how you can make this all happen for your brand? Start your seven day free trial to know more! 

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